


The Moment's Respite

by donutsweeper



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Shock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22666834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutsweeper/pseuds/donutsweeper
Summary: The tsunami left a lot for Bobby to do, but Buck needed his help and that was infinitely more important.(aka the missing scene of what happened after Hen, Chim and Bobby came across Buck at the end of S3e3 "The Searchers")
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Bobby Nash
Comments: 14
Kudos: 245
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	The Moment's Respite

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaptainSif](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSif/gifts).



Driving up to the VA hospital turned impromptu first aide slash command center in stolen mail trucks ferrying carbon monoxide victims that had been discovered thanks to a girl flying a drone was a pretty unusual way to end a day, but Bobby couldn't say it was the weirdest one he had ever experienced. Unexpected, weird, and unusual had become, well, if not standard then at least less strange to him during his time as a firefighter, especially as captain of the 118.

"Need some help here!" he shouted once he'd jumped from the truck, subconsciously triaging his charges as he passed them off to the paramedics, nurses and other emergency personnel that arrived to help. 

Once all that was accomplished he stood there for a second, just looking at the trucks, and scrubbed a hand over his face. Just how the hell was he supposed to write this one up? And, more importantly, write it up so neither he nor Chimney got any flack for "borrowing" them? He briefly debated whether or not he should contact someone from the postal service about their vehicles now to let them know where their trucks wound up but decided that if any of it became a problem, it would be one he could deal with later, maybe after cleaning up and getting some sleep. 

Getting his head back to the matter at hand, he turned to see what his crew was doing, figuring he'd see if there was anything they still needed help with or if it looked like they were close to finished turning over all the rescue victims. He hoped it was the latter, since then, once he'd tracked down Eddie, he could send everyone home for the day.

Surprisingly, he found Hen and Chimney surrounding someone and acting atypically worried and concerned. Approaching, he realized it was Buck who, frankly, looked terrible. He was filthy and covered with blood; there were several untreated scratches on his face and he generally seemed like he'd been running on adrenaline and sheer willpower for a while and was about five seconds from collapsing from either exhaustion or shock. Reining in his own concern, Bobby tried to get his attention with a casual, "Hey," but Buck didn't acknowledge him or even seem to notice he or the others were there.

Buck's complete attention seemed to be on Eddie and Christopher, who appeared to be having a reunion by the mail trucks. Why was Christopher here? Buck had obviously been through _something,_ Bobby assumed the tsunami, so did that mean Christopher had as well? Buck and Eddie were usually thick as thieves, why was Buck looking like he'd just been sucker punched?

"You two okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Buck began, "we're great," but then his legs gave out. 

"Woah!" Chim moved to grab Buck as Hen shouted, "Wait, hold up, hold up. Hang in there, Buck," as they and Bobby caught him, easing him down slowly and helping him sit.

"Come here," Bobby offered support and Buck grabbed onto them tightly, like he was afraid of being swept away—again, maybe?—and they were the only thing that was going to prevent that.

They let him hold on for a moment, but with all four of them there like that they were interfering with traffic in and out of the VA so after a minute Bobby shooed Chim and Hen off with a quiet, "I got him. Check in with command here and make sure they know we're finished for the day. There'll be clean up for a while, but the initial need for emergency help has passed and we should have been off shift hours ago."

"Will do, Cap." Chim shot Buck one last worried look before patting him on the shoulder and he getting to his feet.

"Buck?" Hen grabbed his chin gently and turned his face towards hers, but his eyes never left Eddie and Christopher. "Buck?" she tried again, "Chim and I can come back to help you get these scrapes and cuts treated if you want, some of them look pretty bad. How does that sound? Buck?"

When Buck still didn't respond Bobby said, "That sounds like a good plan, Hen," and then sent them on their way. "Talk to me, Buck." With his voice raised just a little it came out like an order and he hoped it would spurn Buck into an actual reply.

"I thought I lost him, Bobby," Buck said after a moment, his eyes still on Eddie and Christopher. "I looked everywhere, even the… the morgue but he wasn't. And I couldn't." Buck shook his head. "I really thought I'd lost him."

"Well you didn't." Now that he'd actually gotten a reply, Bobby shifted his tone so it was soft, like he was talking to a kid during a rescue. "Christopher's not lost, not anymore, he's right there with his dad and he's not looking all that worse for wear. You, on the other hand..."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's this on your arm? This bandana doesn't look all that sanitary and there's a decent amount of blood here. What do you say you come with me and we go get this cleaned up? Maybe find Hen or Chimney or someone to give you some stitches if you need them?"

"Bobby," Buck protested, but it was a half-hearted one and he was letting himself be pulled to his feet as he said it so Bobby ignored it.

"And we should probably give Maddie a call, let her know you got caught up in all this but are all right, relatively speaking."

"She knows. Before," Buck waved his hand somewhat in Eddie and Christopher's direction and swallowed, hard, "before that I borrowed a phone and called her."

"So if I know her that means she's probably on her way then." The Buckley siblings were _very_ protective of one another and if Buck had sounded even a tenth as disjointed and shocky on the phone with her as he did now? Yeah, she'd probably break a few speeding laws getting here.

Buck chuckled. "She said something about coming down here."

"So why don't we get you cleaned up before she gets here, okay? Get some of that blood off before she can see it so she won't worry so much." Bobby wrapped an arm around Buck's shoulders and steered him towards the door.

"She'll worry anyway," Buck grumbled as they headed inside.

"Yeah, she will. People worry about those they love. It's what we do; it's who we are. There's no fighting it. And we wouldn't want to anyway, would we?"

"I guess not. Thanks, Bobby."

Hen and Chimney spotted them then and took over Buck's physical care, leaving Bobby to stand there, hovering uselessly as a way of lending support. But, as long as he was here, helping Buck, he wasn't having to deal with those damn mail trucks, which was a definite win in his books.


End file.
